Process of making shoes.



M. HILGERT. PROCESS OF MAKING SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.17, 1911 Patented July 16, 1912.

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of the shoe upon that side. could be done by making the outsole thicker ATEN T OFFICE.

MATHEW HILGERT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCEsS OF MAKING SHOES.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATHEW HILGERT,

citizen of the United States, and resident of ings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to boots and shoes and more paiticularly to an improved process or method of making boots and shoes.

It is well known that the bones of the human foot are arranged substantially in the form of two arches, the main or longitudinal arch extending from the heel to the.

forepart of the foot, and a secondary or transverse arch from the ball of the foot to the toes, this transverse arch supporting the forward end of the longitudinal arch. The bonesin these arches are not self sustaining but are held in their respective arch formation by the ligaments and muscles attached to them so that any breaking down of the arches is a result of weakness in these ligaments and muscles. When in normal position, the foot has the base of its heel in the same horizontal plane with the bearing points in its forepart, and the arches of the foot are inproper position to act with the greatest efliciency and to impart elasticity to the ankle.

In infants and childrens shoes, which are made substantially without heels; the foot is sustained in normal position. I-Iowever, as soon as a heel is added to a shoe,

the heel of the wearer is raised relatively to the forepart of the foot and consequently both the longitudinal and the transverse arches of the foot are thrown out of normal position and the foot is given thereby a tendency to roll toward one side or the other. This results in putting an abnormal strain upon the ligaments of the foot, and, if not corrected, will further result in the maladies of fiat foot, inside roll, or outside roll, broken down arches and a completely unbalanced muscular condition of the foot.

' I have discovered that the tendency of the foot to roll toward one side can be overcome by building up the foot supporting portion While this Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 17, 1911.

Serial No. 660,886.

upon that side or by introducing a wedge shaped tap between the outsole and welt, a shoe so made would be unsightly and would not satisfactorily secure the desired result. Attempts to secure this result by inserting into a shoe a falseinsole or filler thicker upon one side than upon the other would be unsatisfactory because the shoe having been made upon a last shaped according to of a shoe made in the ordinary way, a false.

insole or filler thicker at one side of the shoe than at the other side should be introduced into the shoe before it is lasted, so that the finished shoe with the false insole or filler in it, having been shaped to the last with the filler in it, will fit the foot of the wearer for which the last was made. The method of making such a shoe constitutes the present invention.

In carrying out my method, I preferably make a last shaped to the foot, and I then prepare an orthopedic insole which is designed to lift that side of the foot toward which it is inclined to roll. This insole will therefore have one edge of greater average to fit the inside tread of the shoe and its upper surface of suitable form to fit properly the bottom of the foot. This orthopedic insole is, therefore, a false insole or filler. If desired, a filler, corresponding to the orthopedic insole and made of more durable material so that it could be used repeatedly in successive shoes, may be employed during manufacture and the insole substituted afterward, but. I deem it preferable to use the insole itself as the filler during the manufacture of the shoe. The word filler will be hereinafter used to mean either the Patented July 16, 1912.

6.0 ufacture only it may orthopedic insole or a substitute therefor, to avoid confusion withvthe usual'insole of a shoe. In makingwelt shoes by my imroved method, the filler is inserted between. F-

5'the last bottom and the insole, then the upper materials are assembled, the .shoe is lasted 'and then its manufacture is completed in the,usual manner. In order to allow for the increased thickness of the filler on that side of the shoe where the greater the preferred steps in practising my improved method of making shoes,Figure 1 is a view, in cross section, of a last and a filler; Fig. 2 1s a view, also 111 cross sect1on,

showing the last, filler and an-insole of a welt shoe with the upper in lasted position;

Fig. 3 is a View in perspective, and partly in section, of the forepart of a completed welt shoe with the orthopedic insole or filler therein; Fig. 4: is a view, in cross section, of the completed shoe; and Fig. 5' is a perspective view, partly in cross section, of the filler.

In the drawings 1 is the last, and 2 the false insole or filler which may be applied to the last bottom at the. same time with the insole 3 or prior thereto. Theupper may now be assembled uponthe last and the shoe lasted asusual, being shown at this stage of my process iii- Fig. 2., The welt 5 is sewed 40 to the upper and insole by stitches indicated .at 6 and the manufacture of the shoe is then completed in the usual manner, a filling 7 Y being added and the outer sole 8 being attachedby the stitches -10.

vThe filler 2 is preferably made of suc h form as to lift one side of the last a suliicient height to counteract the tendency to roll of the particular foot for which the last was made. As shown in Fig. 5, this filler is preferably made of varying thicknessesbut has a greater average thickness upon that side of the shoe where it is desired to raise the foot. The filler 2 herein. shown is particularly intended to counteract-a tendency towar inside rollof a right foot. If

the filler is to be the ermanent. orthopedic insole for the shoe, t en it is r'eferably made'of felt, leather or the like, ut if it is intendedfor use during,

e made of wood or other. materials.

In carrymg'out this process it is desira- I ble and important to keep the lacing opening in its proper relation to the last, so that 6.5 the. not be distorted upon the foot the process of man material caused by the greater average thickness of the filler upon one side of the shoe. The upper therefore. is preferably provided of thevshoe adjacent to the thicker edge of the filler to compensate substantially for such excess thickness on that side. By reference to Fig. 4, it will be readily seen that without an excess ofvamp material adjacent to the thicker edge of the filler the lasting process would tend to strain and distort ing would be displaced relatively to its normal pdsition on the last, such displacement being approximately as indicated in dotted lines in that figure. This displacement would of course seriously detract from the appearance of the shoe upper upon the foot of the wearer for whom it was made.

An important advantage of my invention is that a heeled shoe is provided which will prevent the foot from rolling either therefore will relieve the strain on the muscles of the foot from their natural endeavor to counteract such rolling. The shoe itself will. counteract the tendency to roll by lifting that edge of the foot toward which such roll would tend.

A further advantage, as will be obvious, is that wearing a shoe made in accordance with my invention-will tend to restore to normal condition and balance the entire muscular organization of a foot which had become muscularly unbalanced from inside or outside roll.

An additional advantage is that an orthopedicshoe is provided without altering the appearance of the exterior of the shoe, the edge portion of the outersole being of uniform thickness on each side as usual, al: though the edge portion of the foot supportgreater height on one side of the shoe than on the other. The shoe made ,by my novel method is not ter of a co-pending application. I

Having, explained the nature of-this 1nvention and fully described how it may be cure by Letters Patent of the United States:

, tom, then. lasting the upper, securing the upper to the insole and completing the manu acture of the shoe as usual.

2. That improvement in the art of making shoes whichconsists in applying to the bot.

by reason of a displacement of the upper with an excess of vamp material on the side ing soles may be actually at a considerably practised, I claim as new and desire to se the upper tooneside so that the lacing opei'itoward one side or the other, and which herein claimed, butis made the subject-mat 1. That improvementin the art of making tom of a last a filler having a greater average thickness at one edge than at the other,

superimposing an insole upon the filler, then lasting the upper, uniting the upper and in-v sole and completing the manufacture of the shoe in the usual manner. i

3. The improvement in the method of making boots or shoes which comprises placing'upon the bottom of a last a filler of greater average thickness upon one side of k the shoe than upon the other with an insole superimposed upon said filler, working into lasted position and securing to said insole an upper having in the vamp on the same side of the shoe as the thicker side of said filler an excess of vamp material approximately compensating for the greater thickness of the filler at that side of the shoe.

4. The improvement inthe method of making shoes which consists in interposing a filler between the insole and the last bottom, said filler having a greater average thickness at one edge than the other, and extending from the'heel to the toe of the shoe, then lasting and securing to the insole an upper having an excess of material adjacent tothe thicker portions of the filler suflicient to compensate approximately for the greater thickness of the filler to prevent distortion of the upper during the lasting of the shoe overthe filler and thereby insure the normal relation of the lines of the upper to the last.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. MATHEW HILGERT. Witnesses:

WINFIELD SIMoNsoN, M. E. CUMMINGS. 

